Why Campus Carry

1. Why should a trained, licensed, carefully screened adult (age 21 or above) be allowed to carry a concealed handgun at a movie theater
on Friday, at a shopping mall on Saturday, and in a church on Sunday but be prohibited from doing so in a college classroom on
Monday?
2. Why should that same license holder be allowed to carry a concealed handgun at a municipal library but not a college library, at a health
club but not a campus recreation center, and at a restaurant but not a university dining hall?
3. Does licensed concealed carry inhibit free expression in Texas churches or prevent heated debates in the Texas Capitoltwo places
where concealed carry is currently allowed?
4. Given that college campuses are open environments with uncontrolled points of entry (no metal detectors or bag checks) and that a
person could just as easily walk into a classroom carrying a backpack full of guns as carrying a backpack full of books, why should a
professor be more concerned about issuing a bad grade to someone who might secretly be a trained, tested, carefully vetted license
holder carrying a gun LEGALLY than to someone who might secretly be an untrained, untested, unvetted criminal carrying a gun
ILLEGALLY?
5. Given that the debate is about changing WHERE concealed handgun license (CHL) holders can carry guns and would not change WHO
can carry a gun, why do opponents keep talking about the relative immaturity of college students?
6. Given that 90% of suicides occur in the victim's home, that most students over the age of 21 live off-campus, that the pending legislation
would allow universities to regulate the storage of firearms in on-campus housing, and that CHL holders are already allowed to keep
handguns in locked vehicles parked on campus, what is the factual basis for claiming that campus carry would lead to an increase in
student suicides?
7. Given that the legalization of campus carry would not change the laws at fraternity houses, off-campus parties, tailgating events, or
barsthe places where students (particularly those old enough to obtain a CHL) are most likely to drinkwhy do opponents spend so
much time talking about the dangers of mixing guns and alcohol?
8. How could three to ten SECONDS of exchanged gunfire (the average length of a gunfight, according to most experts) possibly result in
greater loss of life than a three- to ten-MINUTE uncontested, execution-style massacre?
9. If most shootouts are over in three to ten seconds, what are the odds of police encountering an ongoing shootout and being unable to
distinguish the good guys from the bad guys?
10. Given that CHL holders are taught to move away from danger and would be required to keep their guns concealed unless facing an
IMMEDIATE threat, how significant is the risk of police mistaking a good guy for a bad guy?
11. Given that Texas CHL holders are convicted of violent crimes at approximately 1/5 the rate of the general population and that a Texan is
significantly more likely to be struck by lightning than to be murdered or negligently killed by a Texas CHL holder, why should anyone
assume that these vetted, licensed adults who aren't causing trouble elsewhere in Texas will cause trouble on college campuses?
12. Given that more than 150 U.S. college campuses currently allow licensed concealed carry and have done so for an average of five
years, without a single resulting assault, suicide attempt, or accidental death, why should anyone expect different results in Texas?
13. What is the benefit of a state law or school policy that stacks the odds in favor of any criminal or psychopath willing to ignore state law
and school policy?

Madison D. Welch
Southwest Regional Director
Students for Concealed Carry

madison.welch@concealedcampus.org
www.ConcealedCampus.org

Dear Members of the 84th Texas Legislature:

As you consider legislation to legalize the licensed concealed carry of handguns on Texas college campuses, I hope youll
take a moment to watch these three video clips from the 2014 and 2011 Students for Concealed Carry national
conferences.
In this seven-minute clip from the 2014 conference, Holly Adams recounts the pain of losing her daughter Leslie in the
2007 Virginia Tech massacre and explains, If you were in my shoes, you would probably eagerly sacrifice your own life if
only, on that horrible day, someone on campusin the dorm or in the classroomcould have carried a weapon and
stopped the killer in his tracks before he claimed thirty-two precious lives": http://youtu.be/fHHUUqhZ7U0
Of course, mass shootings such as the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre are not the only reason students, faculty, staff, and
visitors should be allowed the means to protect themselves on college campuses. In this eight-minute clip from the 2011
conference, Amanda Collins bravely recounts how she was sexually assaulted in a parking garage at the University of
Nevada, Reno: http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4505990/amanda-collins-speaks-2011-scc-national-conference
In her address to the conference, Amanda argued that she could have stopped her assailant if only the university and
the Nevada Legislature had allowed her the same measure of personal protection on campus that she, as a concealed
handgun license holder, was allowed virtually everywhere else in the state. Her assailant was later arrested and
convicted for the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of nineteen-year-old Brianna Denison
(http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/brianna-denisons-life-ends-in-brutal-rape-and-murder). Amanda believes that if
she had been allowed the means to protect herself in that university parking garage, Briannawho was abducted and
murdered three months latermight still be alive.
In this nine-minute video from the 2014 conference, Dartmouth student Taylor Woolrich tells the story of how she was
relentlessly stalked by a sixty-three-year-old man whoafter meeting her at the coffee shop where she worked
followed her, harassed her, assaulted her boyfriend, repeatedly violated a restraining order against him, and was
ultimately arrested outside her parents home, carrying what police described as a rape kit:
http://youtu.be/b5I6uBBW9i0
When Taylor asked university officials to grant her permission to carry a concealed handgun for protection against this
stalker, the request was flatly denied with no option for appeal. Taylor explained, The operator at Safety and Security at
Dartmouth College told me that I could call for a security escort if I felt unsafe. I've done this, and I got responses such
as, You can't keep calling us all the time, or You can only call after 9 PM. I'd like to say that my stalker doesn't really
care what time of day it is. He doesn't care if it's light or dark or if I'm on the East Coast or the West Coast or out of the
country. I have an out-of-control situation, and I'm asking for my control back.
The push to legalize campus carry is not a ploy by gun nuts looking for an excuse to play cop or hero; it is about real
people looking for the means to defend themselves against the types of horrors experienced by Leslie Adams, Amanda
Collins, and Taylor Woolrich. SCC is not asking to lower the CHL age limit or to otherwise redefine who can carry a gun.
We're not asking to change the concealed carry laws at bars, off-campus parties, fraternity houses, tailgating events, or
any other location where college students are likely to consume alcohol. We are simply asking that trained, licensed,
carefully screened adults (age 21 and above) be afforded the same right in college classrooms, lecture halls, libraries,
and cafeterias that theyre already afforded in churches, movie theaters, shopping malls, grocery stores, restaurants,
banks, and even the Texas Capitol.
Thank you for considering this important issue.
Sincerely,
Madison D. Welch
Southwest Regional Director, Students for Concealed Carry

Madison.Welch@ConcealedCampus.org

www.ConcealedCampus.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 04/28/2015 2:00 PM CDT

CONTACT:
Madison D. Welch, Southwest Regional Director, Students for Concealed Carry (SCC)
madison.welch@concealedcampus.org
SCC Board of Directors: organizers@concealedcampus.org

GUNS ALLOWED AT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RALLY TO "OPPOSE GUNS ON CAMPUS"

AUSTIN, TX - As if to illustrate the disconnect between opponents of campus carry and the current laws governing
licensed concealed carry in Texas, the group UT Students Against Guns on Campus plans to hold an anti-campus carry
rally in an area of the UT-Austin campus where the licensed concealed carry of handguns is already legal.
The "Oppose Guns on Campus" rallyadvertised on a Facebook event page emblazoned with the slogan "KEEP GUNS
OFF THE UT CAMPUS!"is scheduled to take place at 5 PM Tuesday, April 28, in the west mall rally space on the UTAustin campus. Because current Texas gun laws do not classify the publicly accessible outdoor areas of a college
campus (e.g., UT-Austin's west mall rally space) as part of the "premises" of the college, and because this event is not
sponsored by UT, nothing in the Texas Penal Code would prohibit a concealed handgun license (CHL) holder from
carrying a concealed handgun at the rally.
Madison Welch, Southwest regional director for Students for Concealed Carry (SCC), quipped, "In case it wasn't
already clear how little these anti-campus carry activists understand about the issue they're protesting, they've
chosen an area of campus where concealed carry is already allowed, to give speeches about how dangerous
campus would be if concealed carry were allowed."
If the campus carry legislation pending before the Texas Legislature were to become law, the firearm restrictions in
campus buildings would still be much more stringent than are the current firearm restrictions in UT-Austin's west mall rally
space. Under the proposed campus carry law, only trained, licensed, carefully screened adults (age 21 or above) would
be allowed to carry concealed handguns in campus buildings. Under the current law, any non-felon over the age of 18
may lawfully possess a long gun (rifle or shotgun) in the publicly accessible outdoor areas of campus. Welch noted, "One
of the rally goers could choose to hang her protest sign from the barrel of an AK-47, and she wouldn't be in
violation of the law."
Despite the irony of the location chosen for this anti-campus carry rally, SCC has no plans to encourage members to carry
concealed handguns at the rally. Furthermore, SCC leaders chose to withhold this press release until just three hours
before the rally, so as to avoid inspiring a counter-protest by radical factions of the state's (unrelated) open carry
movement, some of whom have a history of carrying long guns to events sponsored by gun-control organizations. Welch
explained, "SCC's mission is to educate, not intimidate, those who oppose us. There is no need for any type of
counter-protestthe very existence of this rally belies the argument that licensed concealed carry threatens free
speech on college campuses."
###
ABOUT STUDENTS FOR CONCEALED CARRY Students for Concealed Carry (SCC) is a national, non-partisan,
grassroots organization comprising college students, faculty, staff, and concerned citizens who believe that holders of
state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college
campuses that current laws afford them virtually everywhere else. SCC is not affiliated with the NRA or any other
organization. For more information on SCC, visit ConcealedCampus.org or Facebook.com/ConcealedCampus. For more
information on the debate over campus carry in Texas, visit WhyCampusCarry.com.
RELATED: http://tinyurl.com/scc-2015-texas-handout | http://tinyurl.com/texas-chl-requirements |
http://tinyurl.com/chl-tx-prohibited-locations
Nothing in this press release should be construed as legal advice.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 04/30/2015

CONTACT:
Madison D. Welch, Southwest Regional Director, Students for Concealed Carry (SCC)
madison.welch@concealedcampus.org
SCC Board of Directors: organizers@concealedcampus.org

WHEN FACTS FAIL YOU, PLAY BEER PONG IN LEGISLATORS' OFFICES

AUSTIN, TX - Still refusing to acknowledge the legal distinction between a college campus and an off-campus party,
members of the Texas chapter of the gun-control group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America spent
Wednesday toting a portable "beer pong" game around the Texas Capitol.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the group posted pictures (http://is.gd/ZfuPGb) to its Facebook page, showing members
posing with ping pong balls and red plastic cupsstaples of the infamous drinking gamein various locations throughout
the Texas Capitol. This latest bit of theatrics is part of the group's ongoing efforts to mislead the public and the legislature
into believing that pending legislation to legalize the licensed concealed carry of handguns on Texas college campuses
would impact off-campus parties.
In a television commercial (http://is.gd/wjUeyU) released by Moms Demand Action earlier this month, images of a beer
pong game are accompanied by a voiceover claimingfalselythat the legislation in question would "force colleges to
allow guns" at "frat parties." In reality, fraternity houses are privately owned or leased by the overseeing fraternal
organization and aren't covered by the current statutory prohibition (http://is.gd/qvvJ5v) against the possession of a
firearm on the physical premises of an educational institution. Under the pending campus carry legislation, these fraternal
organizations would retain the right to establish their own firearm policies at their fraternity houses.
Madison Welch, Southwest regional director for Students for Concealed Carry, commented, "I've spent the past five years
on Texas college campuses, and I've never seen a beer pong game at any location that would be impacted by campus
carry. It's been my experience that universities tend to frown on wild parties in lecture halls and libraries."
Neither Texas Senate Bill 11 nor Texas House Bill 937 would change the laws at fraternity houses, bars, tailgating events,
or off-campus partieslocations not covered by the current campus gun ban. A separate statutory prohibition against
concealed carry in bars would remain in effect, as would a statutory prohibition against carrying a concealed handgun
while intoxicated (http://is.gd/HKc92u).
Welch noted, "Every day, Texas college students attend parties where licensed concealed carry is allowed under current
law. In fact, most college parties take place in locations where licensed concealed carry is allowed under current law. To
point to those parties, where concealed carry is already legal, as a reason to continue to prohibit concealed carry in
locations such as classrooms, libraries, and cafeterias is the most twisted kind of logic."
###
ABOUT STUDENTS FOR CONCEALED CARRY Students for Concealed Carry (SCC) is a national, non-partisan,
grassroots organization comprising college students, faculty, staff, and concerned citizens who believe that holders of
state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college
campuses that current laws afford them virtually everywhere else. SCC is not affiliated with the NRA or any other
organization. For more information on SCC, visit ConcealedCampus.org or Facebook.com/ConcealedCampus. For more
information on the debate over campus carry in Texas, visit WhyCampusCarry.com.
RELATED: http://tinyurl.com/scc-2015-texas-handout | http://tinyurl.com/texas-chl-requirements |
http://tinyurl.com/chl-tx-prohibited-locations

January 1, 2015, Texas Concealed Handgun Licensure Among Persons Age 18-23
Licenses Issued Minus Licenses Revoked

Age
18*
19*
20*
21
22
23
SUBTOTAL

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

18
78
140
3271
2520
2453
8480

16
61
108
2810
2508

11
39
73
2085

15
42
72

13
40

5503

2208

129

53

TOTAL
16373

License issuance and revocation numbers courtesy of Texas Department of

Public Safety:
https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/chl/reports/demographics.htm
NOTE: A first-time license issued in 2009 expired before the end of 2014.
Texas Population Estimates by Age
18
19
20
21
22
23

396586
396835
400420
403126
397679 (approx.)
397679 (approx.)
2392325
Population estimates courtesy of the Texas Department of State Health Services:
https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/CHS/Popdat/Dtl/DTL2014p/
*A person age 18-20 can only obtain a Texas CHL if he or she is a member or
veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. As of January 1, 2015, there were a maximum
of 324 active Texas CHLs held by military personnel and veterans age 18-20.
Among Texans in that age range, that's approximately 0.027%, or one person out
of every 3,685.
As of January 1, 2015, the rate of concealed handgun licensure among Texans age
21-23 is approximately 1.3%, or one person out of every 75.
As of January 1, 2015, the rate of concealed handgun licensure among Texans age
18-23 is approximately 0.68%, or one person out of every 146.
(This is up from roughly 0.5%, or one person out of every 198, on January 1, 2013.)

Convictions of Texas CHL Holders for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
Total Convictions Aggravated Assault
w/Deadly Weapon
2,292
2,852
2,765
3,079
2,603
2,600
2,513
2,701
2,632
2,901
2,626
2,408
1,767
1,912
1,629
1,468
1,458
1,269

Population CHL Holders % CHL Holders

2013 26,640, 165
708,048
2.6578%
2012 26,130,047
584,850
2.2382%

2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996

25,674,681
25, 145,561
24,782,302
24,326,974
23,904,380
23,507,783
22,859,968
22,490,022
22, 118,509
21,779,893
21,325,018
20,85 1,820
20,044,141
19,759,614
19,439,337
19, 128,261

518,625
461,724
402,9 14
314,574
288,909
258, 162
248,874
239,940
239,863
224,172
218,670
215,836
203,878
183,078
162,597
113,640
AVERAGE:

2.0200%
1.8362%
1.6258%
1.2931%
1.2086%
1.0982%
1.0887%
1.0669%
1.0844%
1.0293%
1.0254%
1.0351%
1.0 171%
0.9265%
0.8364%
0.5941%
1.3157%

CHl Convictions - Aggravated

Assault w/Deadly Weapon

% CHL Convictions

10
6

0.4363%
0 .2104%
0. 1085%
0.0974%
0. 1537%
0.0000%
0 .2786%
0.3332%
0.1900%
0. 1724%
0.1142%
0. 1246%
0. 1132%
0.2615%
0.2455%
0.2725%
0.4801%
0 .1576%
0.2083%

o
7

A Texas CHL holder is approximately 1/6 as likely to be convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Convictions of Texas CHL Holders for Murder, Negligent Homicide, or Manslaughter

2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996

Population CHL Holders

26,640,165
708,048

26,130,047
25,674,681
25, 145,561
24,782,302
24,326,974
23,904,380
23,507,783
22,859,968
22,490,022
22, 118,509
21,779,893
21,325,018
20,85 1,820
20,044, 141
19,759,614
19,439,337
19, 128,261

584,850
518,625
461,724
402,914
314,574
288,909
258, 162
248,874
239,940
239,863
224,172
218,670
215,836
203,878
183,078
162,597
113,640
AVERAGE:

Total Convictions - Murder.

CHl Convictions - Murder.

Negligent Homicide.
Manslaughter

Negligent Homicide.
M anslaughter
4

% CHL Holders
2.6578%
2.2382%
2.0200%
1.8362%
1.6258%
1.2931%
1.2086%
1.0982%
1.0887%
1.0669%
1.0844%
1.0293%
1.0254%
1.035 1%
1.0171%
0.9265%
0.8364%
0 .5941%
1.3157%

585
660
722
740
649
617
586
543
560
52 1
449
389
256
145
124
82
99
74

3
7

o
o
o

o
o
o
AVERAGE:

% CHL Convictions
0.6838%
0.4545%
0.9695%
1.0811%
0.1541%
0 .4862%
1.1945%
0.3683%
0.5357%
0.0000%
0.2227%
0.514 1%
0.0000%
0.6897%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.4086%

A Texas CHL holder is approximately 1/3 as likely to be convicted of murder, negligen t homicide, or manslaughter.

Convictions of Texas CHL Holders for Aggravated Sexual Assault

Population CHL Holders

2013 26,640,165
708,048

2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996

26,130,047
25,674,681
25, 145,561
24,782,302
24,326,974
23,904,380
23,507,783
22,859,968
22,490,022
22, 118,509
21,779,893
21,325,018
20,85 1,820
20,044, 141
19,759,614
19,439,337
19,128,261

584,850
518,625
461,724
402,914
314,574
288,909
258, 162
248,874
239,940
239,863
224, 172
218,670
215,836
203,878
183,078
162,597
113,640
AVERAGE:

% CHL Holders
2.6578%
2.2382%
2.0200%
1.8362%
1.6258%
1.2931%
1.2086%
1.0982%
1.0887%
1.0669%
1.0844%
1.0293%
1.0254%
1.035 1%
1.0171%
0.9265%
0.8364%
0.5941%
1.3157%

Total Convictions-

CHL Convictions - Aggravated

Aggravated Sexual Assault

Sexual Assault

% CHL Convictions

117
157
162
255
202
204
204
173
207
22 1
301
245
178
192
157
191
225
186

1
2

0.8547%
1.2739%
0.0000%
0.7843%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.9050%
0 .0000%
0 .0000%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.6369%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.0000%
0.2475%

A Texas CHL holder is approximately 1/5 as likely to be convicted of aggravated sexual assault.

Populat ion estimates cou rtesy of t he Texas Department of Stat e Health Services:
https:!/www.dshs.state.tx.us/CHS/Popdat/Dtl/DTL2014p/
Convict ion numbers courtesy of t he Texas Depart ment of Publ ic Sa fety:
https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/chl/reports/convrates.htm

o
o
o
o

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

o
AVERAGE :